Jane Cadwallader
Up in the Sky
Illustrated by Gustavo Mazali
Jane Cadwallader
Up in the Sky
Illustrated by Gustavo Mazali
e are busy here on Earth, but things are busy up in the sky too!
Do the Sky Quiz.
1 Some snakes can fly for a short time.
2 Bats can fly for a long time.
3 Some birds migrate.
4 Birds are the biggest group of animals that fly.
5 People flew in balloons before planes.
6 Weather and climate are the same.
Now read the book to check your answers!
Did you know the sky above us is like this?
Exosphere (10.000 km thick)
Rockets, satellites
Thermosphere (513 km thick)
International Space Station, satellites
Mesosphere (35 km thick)
Meteors
Stratosphere (35 km thick)
Weather balloons
Troposphere (14 km thick)
Look and ask your partner questions. For example: What can you find in the Troposphere?
Animals You Can See in the Sky
Some fish, snakes and frogs can fly for a short time… but only three animals can fly for a long time. These are bats, insects and birds.
Bats
Insects and birds lay eggs, but bats have babies.
Some bats are very small, and some are very big.
The biggest is called the Flying Fox because its face looks like a fox!
Bats have got two legs. Their arms, hands and fingers make their wings! They find their way by making sounds and listening for the echo. This is called echolocation.
Most bats live in caves, trees or buildings. They live in big families and mostly eat insects.
Insects
Insects are the biggest group of animals, and you can find them in many places.
Some insects, like bees, are very good at flying, but others, like beetles, prefer walking.
All insects have got six legs and most insects have got wings. Some, especially butterflies, have got very beautiful wings.
The biggest insect is the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing butterfly and the smallest is the Kikiki huna.
The Ants and the Grasshopper (from Aesop’s Fables)
- One morning in spring, some ants walked into a field to look for food.
There was also a grasshopper. But he wasn’t working.
- One afternoon in summer, the ants were drying their food in the sun.
The grasshopper was there too. But he wasn’t working.
- One evening in autumn, the ants were carrying their food back to their home. The grasshopper was there too. But he wasn’t working.
- One night in winter, the ants were having dinner. Suddenly, the grasshopper came to the door. Now he wasn’t singing and dancing. He was cold and very hungry.
Can you give me some food?
What do you think the ants said to the grasshopper?
Birds
Birds sing to tell other birds, ‘This place is my home! Go away, please!’ or to find a partner.
Some birds can dance too!
Some birds, like mother and father swans, always stay together and never change partners.
The biggest flying bird is the albatross.
The smallest bird is called the bee hummingbird because it is so small.
Many birds migrate.
There’s a bird called the Arctic tern. Every year, it flies from summer in the Arctic to summer in the Antarctic and then back to summer in the Arctic again!
6 Harper and Dewey
Harper was from New Zealand. She didn’t really have friends at school. What she loved was the stars! Her favourites were the Southern Cross and the Jewel Box.
One day, Harper found a bird with a broken wing. It was a tui. She looked after the little bird and called it Dewey. Every night she pointed to the sky and said, ‘Dewey, that’s the Southern Cross. And that’s the Jewel Box.’
One afternoon she heard, ‘That’s the Southern Cross’. Harper was surprised! It was Dewey the tui!
The children from school came to Harper’s house. They wanted to see the stars and hear Dewey say the names.
And now Harper has got lots of star friends at school.